Caver County police report scam aimed at grandparents

CARVER COUNTY, MN – The following scam is real, according to Carver County police, and is similar to one that recently happened in Carver County.

The scam starts out with a caller simply saying “Grandma?” or “Grandpa?”, if a grandma or grandpa answers
they usually respond with the name of who they think is calling, and then the scenario goes something like this:
He [caller] said he was with a friend in Canada, where they had just attended a wedding. They had drunk a few
beers and he had to drive his friend back to the hotel. He said he wrecked the rental car on the way and
Canadian police booked him for DUI. The only way he could get out of jail was by paying $3,379.
The Texas grandma withdrew $4,200 from her bank and wired the amount through a Money Gram to Hamilton
Ontario, Canada. The caller phoned her back for the confirmation number, thanking her repeatedly for her help.

Then the red flags came.
Her kids call her “Nana,” not “Grandma.” She wondered how he was going to get out of jail to get the money.
Three days passed. Grandma hadn’t heard from her grandson. She called and left a message on his voice mail.

He called back and said he had been at Texas State University in San Marcos all week. He’d never been to
Canada.

According to the Canadian Anti-Fraud Call Center, this scam and variations of it have been around for
the last few years. What can you do to prevent this from happening to you?
Here are a few tips:

Call another relative and ask if he or she is aware
of the scenario.

Ask for the caller’s identification.

Call police to help verify legitimacy of
questionable calls.

Resist pressure to act now.

Question telephone calls asking for electronic
transfer of money.

Ask for a call-back number, references and time to
think things over.